Ann Gallelli: Village Law Enforcement & Immigration Status

As a member of the Board of Trustees, I wish to acknowledge and thank Police Chief Tramaglini for developing a thorough and thoughtful policy regarding how Croton’s police will respond to immigration-related issues. Chief Tramaglini indicated at Monday’s work session that this has been the Croton police policy for many years which is reassuring. Recently, the Chief put it in words. The policy is available at http://crotononhudson.novusagenda.com for your review.

The Chief’s written statement of police policy appeared to be received positively by the Board. As an outcome of the meeting, and in response to some questions, it was suggested that it be tweaked slightly, based on discussion, to clarify the meaning of some of the wording. I requested that the final wording be included in the Croton Police manual that guides our police department operations. As important, I asked that the Board adopt an official policy, supporting the Chief’s statement, to reflect the posture of the entire Village government in this matter. This would ensure not only that our public posture is known to all, but also that our Police Dept. knows they have our endorsement of their actions.
Lastly, such a policy should be translated into languages most prevalent in Croton and publicized through all normal channels of communication used by the Village. Again, thank you to Chief Tramaglini for his valuable help in articulating in writing an existing policy that provided the basis for the Board’s discussion.